"Pretty Fly " is a song by American punk-rock band The Offspring. It is the fourth track from their fifth studio album, Americana, and was released as the first single from the album. It achieved significant pop and rock and alternative radio play and popularity, peaking at number 53 on the US Billboard Hot 100, number 5 on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and number 3 on the BillboardModern Rock Tracks chart. It was a major success internationally, reaching number one in 10 countries, including Australia, where it stayed at number one for six weeks and was certified quadruple platinum. The song is a mocking portrayal of a white man who likes to act like an African-American stereotype. The song appears as the seventh track on their Greatest Hits.
Composition and lyrics
Beginning with a sample of the pseudo-German nonsense phrase "Gunter glieben glauchen globen" from Def Leppard's song "Rock of Ages", chanted as a replacement for the traditional "1, 2, 3, 4" to start the recording, the song ridicules a "wannabe gangsta" who is immersed in hip-hop culture not because he truly loves or understands it, but because it is trendy, makes him feel tough, and because he believes it attracts women. As summed up by Dexter Holland, the people described in the lyrics "are from, like, Omaha, Nebraska, regular white-bread boys, but who act like they're from Compton. It's so fake and obvious that they're trying to have an identity." Holland detailed that he meets many teenagers like those in his native Orange County, "going to the mall, where they buy FUBU, Tommy Hilfiger, and Ice Cube's latest record." Given rap culture is the starting point, Holland clarified that it was not an attack on African-Americans, but "poseurs of any kind", but without wanting "to be preachy about it... We're getting amusement out of it more than anything else."
Music video
The video, directed by McG, begins with the "white guy" and some girls singing the opening lines, and Offspring guitarist Noodles walking on the pavement with his guitar, playing the introductory riff. The "white guy" drives through town in his lowrider and tries to act cool in front of African-Americans, playing with his car's hydraulic system and interrupting a break dance session to dance himself. He is then carried by a group of girls to a pool party and thrown into the pool. He jumps out of the pool and finds some bikini clad dancers in front of him. These scenes are cut with the band playing. The video ends with the "white guy" returning home and scaring his little sister, who is wearing a fairy costume, because of his dishevelled appearance. According to Dexter Holland, the band wanted Seth Green to play the "white guy" but he was unavailable. After seeing an audition tape with "five unknowns", they settled on Guy Cohen, who went on to cameo in the "Why Don't You Get a Job?" video and occasionally appear at Offspring concerts.
Track listing
Cassette single and 7" black vinyl Initial pressing Australia CD Maxi Italy 12" black vinyl Promo 12" black vinyl Promo CD
The song was released as downloadable content for the video gameRock Band. The song was released in the first "Offspring pack" which was released on October 7, 2008, along with "Gone Away" and "Self Esteem". The song was released on the spinoff track list on December 22, 2009. It was later made available as downloadable content for Guitar Hero Live, containing the music video.
